Homegrown Halloween to alter parking, transit

For the fifth year in a row, Chapel Hill hopes to keep Halloween a hometown event.

Homegrown Halloween is a shared effort among the Town of Chapel Hill, the University and downtown businesses to keep Halloween a small-town gathering.

On Oct. 31, Franklin Street downtown will close at 9 p.m. in the expectation of large crowds and will reopen at 11:30 p.m. There will be no parking downtown or near downtown, and no special event park-and-ride shuttles. Some Chapel Hill Transit buses will be rerouted and service on some routes will end early. Safe Ride buses that normally operate on weekends will be available to transport community members and UNC students away from downtown.

Point-to-Point Express campus shuttles will run during their normal hours on Halloween night. However, the route will be modified and run in the opposite direction due to road closings.

Parking and access will be restricted on UNC’s campus. See details on all restrictions. Here are some highlights:

Employee parking:Swain, Coates, Porthole and Morehead lots will require a valid employee permit 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 31. However, all vehicles must be removed by 5:30 p.m. Oct. 31. Violators will be towed at owner’s expense. The lots will re-open to permit holders after Halloween festivities end and streets re-open.

The following lots will require a valid employee permit 7:30 a.m. Oct. 31 until 5 p.m. Nov. 1. After streets close around 9 p.m. Wednesday, the lots will not be accessible until the streets re-open around 11:30 p.m. Any legally parked vehicle in the lot after 9 p.m. may remain in the lot or leave as needed. • Arboretum Lane• Bynum Circle• Caldwell Lot• Emerson Drive• Davis Drive• Hanes Lot• Old East• Peabody Lot• Steele Lot• Swain Lot

Nash Lot and Cobb and McCauley decks will require a valid employee permit 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or a valid UNC One Card 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 31. After 9 p.m., the lots will close to traffic until streets re-open around 11:30 p.m.

Dogwood Deck will be available to employees reporting to work from 5 p.m. Oct. 31 until 9:30 a.m. Nov. 1. Bell Tower Deck will be available to employees reporting to work or students reporting to class from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 31. Access will require a valid UNC One Card. After streets close at 9 p.m., the deck will not be accessible until streets re-open.

Unless otherwise noted, all other lots on the main part of campus will require a valid weekday permit from 7:30 a.m. Oct. 31 through 5 p.m. or 9 p.m. Nov.1.

Public parking:Halloween visitors are discouraged on campus, especially before 6 p.m. From 6 p.m. to midnight, three campus lots will be available for Halloween parking for $20.• Highway 54 Lot, near corner of Raleigh and South roads• Rams Head Deck, on Ridge Road near east end of Kenan Stadium• Bowles Lot, on Manning Drive near Smith Center

Illegally parked vehicles on UNC’d campus on Halloween will be cited and towed at owner’s expense; including vehicles parked on sidewalks, landscape, in fire lanes, in reserved spaces, and in restricted areas, etc. Payment for the citation and tow, and any outstanding balances owed UNC Department of Public Safety, will be required before the vehicle will be released.